Stepping Back
by IShipKlaroline2598
Summary: Hermione held Snape's hand in hers as he slowly died from Nagini's bite. Using the last bit of his strength he gave her the last thing she ever expected...a single tear. A tear imbued with a memory he said was for her and no one else. The memory takes Hermione by surprise, as does everything that follows.
1. Chapter One

A/N: Hello, welcome to my first ever Harry Potter fanfiction 'Stepping Back'. I've kept away from writing Harry Potter fanfictions because I've felt that there's so many places that they can go wrong if you don't know the world well enough. Anyway, I was sitting on my couch late at night and inspiration struck and I just had to write it down.

This story is very different for me to write, on so many levels, so I want to apologise if there's any information errors, or if I confuse stuff that happened in the books with stuff that happened in the movies. I haven't read the books enough to differentiate completely. However, a part of me was excited to write it for that reason. It gives me a chance to try something new and offers me a way to look at the Harry Potter series differently.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter or the wondering wizarding world that it's set in, that right belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling.

CHAPTER ONE: A MEMORY IMPARTED.

Harry filled the conjured flask to the brim with the silvery blue essence that was spilling out of Snape. Once it was full he pushed away from the body of their old Professor and fastened the lid, grabbing his invisibility cloak and heading towards the door where Ron and I were standing.

Ron quickly hid underneath the cloak with Harry and they both turned expectantly to me. I couldn't make my eyes turn away from Snape, the blood pooling out of his neck and onto the wooden floor as he sputtered. Could they really leave him behind while he was suffering and dying?

"Hermione, are you coming?" Harry asked, watching me anxiously from the doorway.

My stomach clenched and twisted as I looked down at the dark haired man who spent the past 6 years as my teacher. I couldn't just leave him here to die alone. It wasn't fair.

"I'll catch up with you guys. I…I just want to wait here for a minute." My voice shook as I took a hesitant step towards Snape, waving Harry and Ron off. They continued to stand in the doorway for a few more seconds, Ron looking as I he was ready to throw me over his shoulder and carry me out of here himself.

Harry managed to pull Ron along and they both disappeared under the cloak, while I knelt down and moved closer, grabbing the clammy hand that was laid at his side. His eyes were shut now, but he was still spluttering.

"Professor, can you hear me? It's Hermione Granger."

His dark eyes snapped open and landed on mine, dilating as he tried to focus on my face. He made another attempt to speak, this time managing a series of unintelligible gurgling, the words not making it past the blood that was filling the back of his throat. He gripped my hand weakly, the strength rapidly leaving his body as death approached.

"Don't try to speak." I squeezed his hand, knowing that this gesture in any other circumstances would be reassuring. "I don't know why I stayed. But, I couldn't just let you die alone."

He continued to stare up at me as if he wasn't quite sure what he was seeing, his expression unchanging. The gurgling sound grew more pronounced as he let his head fall to the side, a pool of blood flowing onto the ground. After most of the blood had pooled out I used the hand that wasn't holding his, to shift his head straight again. I met his eyes as a small silvery blue tear built in the corner of his eyes and slowly travelled down his cheek. I instantly conjured a small vial, wondering what memories he could possibly want to share with me that he hadn't already shared with Harry, letting the tear gently roll into the small glass bottle.

"For…you…no one…else." My brows furrowed as the words pushed past the blood that was already refilling his mouth, spattering some of the scarlet liquid across his lips and down his chin and neck.

"Okay, I'll look at it once I leave." I said, squeezing his hand again. "I'm not going until it's over."

His head shifted in a move that I could only guess was a nod, the grip he had on my hand getting looser. My brained flickered through the possibilities of anything that I could say that might comfort him in his last moments, but nothing came. I couldn't think of anything that would be appropriate. What would Snape want to hear before he died? I mean, knowing that he was approaching death, what is something that he make him relax?

Something struck in my brain and I leant closer, gently clearing my throat as I closed my eyes and rehearse the story I had committed to my brain. "There were once three brothers who were travelling along a lonely, winding road at twilight. In time, the brothers reached a river too deep to wade through and too dangerous to swim across. However, these brothers were learned in the magical arts, and so they simply waved their wands and made a bridge appear across the treacherous water. They were halfway across it when…"

I had barely started the story when I felt his hands go slack in mind. I continued to speak as I opened my eyes and looked up at his. Only stopping as the dark piercing eyes, although still just as dark as they'd always been, glazed over as they looked down at me.

Tears welled up in my eyes and I pushed them back down, reluctantly letting his hand go and making my way to my feet. I gave his lifeless body one more look before I cast a Disillusionment charm on myself and rushed through the tunnel that came out under the Whomping Willow.

I made my way through the grounds as fast as my feet would take me, my hand clamped around the small vial. I passed people both injured and dying as I ran through the main halls, up the stairs, and towards the Headmaster's office. I hid myself behind a tall stature that was off to the side of the office door, knowing that Harry was inside there now, looking at whatever Snape had given him.

Snape's last words were to tell me that the memory he had given me was for no one other than me. I didn't know what that could mean, but I wasn't about to disrespect a dead man's wishes.

While I waited for Harry to come back out of the office, I thought over all the possibilities of what the memory could be. Was it something that would help in defeating Voldemort? Something that only I would be able to understand? Some obscure potions discovery that he didn't want to die with him? A memory that involved me? I could be anything.

It took another fifteen minutes before Harry reappeared, wand-in-hand, racing down the hallway in the opposite direction. I took that opportunity and slipped up the stairs, through the door and into the dimly lit office. I took breath in, the familiar smell of smoke and patchouli filled my body. It hadn't changed much in the year that Dumbledore had been gone.

Under the watchful eyes of the portraits that hung on the walls, I located the Pensieve that sat open behind the Headmaster's desk. It glowed an eerie blue, and as I got closer I could see the blue substance swirling around inside like a whirlpool.

Releasing my tight grip on the vial, I plucked the stopper from the top and let the dingle teardrop fall onto the surface of whatever it was that the Pensieve held. Leaning closer into it, I felt myself begin to get pulled down and I fell deeper and deeper into the memory. Continuing my freefall until I landed in the Hogwarts grounds, right near where I had punched Malfoy in the face in third year, looking down at Hagrid's hut and the Forbidden Forest.

Stalking his way up the stairs was a boy around my age. I knew who it was immediately. Pitch-black, shoulder-length hair, hooked nose, and green-trimmed robes made it blatantly obvious. He looked exactly the same, but completely different at the same time. As he walked closer I realised that there was a nasty purple bruise forming around his eyes and blood was dripping from his nose and down his chin.

Distant laughter could be heard back the way that he had come from and I hurried forward to see who it was. I could see the group down by the edge of the forest, four boys laughing and pointing up at Snape. The Marauder's.

I turned back to Snape, knowing that there was a reason that he wanted to see this memory, and it probably didn't have to do with seeing Harry father and godparents again. He was storming towards the school, head down, his robes billowing behind him. I rushed to catch up as he walked in the direction of a small cluster of trees rather than the school entrance. I had no idea what he was doing, or why he had wanted me to see this.

"Insolent prats!" He said to himself, his voice filled with venom. "Spoilt attention-seeking prats!"

His voice sounded the same as well, holding the same power it had when he was old. A rough baritone that could slice through you with ease if you did something wrong in his potions class. He slowed down as he reached the group of trees. I followed as he made his way through them to the back, pausing as he and I both heard a crashing noise. He looked around, panic in his eyes. Was it the Marauders back to beat him up more? He looked towards me, his eyes narrowing at what he saw. Not in a menacing 'I'm want to hex you' look, but the look you get when you see someone get hurt and you don't know how to help them.

I looked down at myself. Could he see me? He started forward and for a brief moment I expected him to say something to me. But instead he walked directly through me, sending a cold shiver down my spine as if I had just walked through a ghost.

I turned around to see what he was looking at and my breath stopped short. There on the ground, in the shadows of one of the tall trees, was an unconscious body. He and I both walked closer to see who it was. I gasped, my hand coming up to cover my mouth. It wasn't just some random student. It was me.

I was laying on my back, dressed in the same clothes I was wearing now, the same cuts and bruises on my face from the battle that was still raging in the real-world. Snape dropped to the ground, placing his school books beside him as he reached his hand out.

"Oh Merlin!" He shook my arm lightly. "Miss, are you okay? Miss?"

When I didn't wake up he grabbed his wand from his robes and used a shrinking charm on his books, placing them in his pocket, then he reached out and lifted me up into his arms, as if I had weighed nothing. Then he started to run, as fast as he could, towards the school.

"It's going to be okay." He said as he ran passed a group of bewildered students. "I'll take you to the Hospital Wing."

I ran after him, but the scene around me stopped moving and began to blur in and out of focus. I tried to steady myself, closing my eyes to prevent the dizziness that this change was causing.

When I opened my eyes I was standing beside Snape outside the Hospital Wing, the door was cracked open slightly so that we could see what was happening inside, the stale smell of the ward drifting out the door. I was standing at his elbow, my eyes looking through the door to see Madam Pomfrey, Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore talking animatedly with…me.

"You are telling us Miss Granger, that you were sent here, to 1977, from the future?" Dumbledore asked, running a hand along his long grey beard.

"Yes. I was sent here by one of the Professors at Hogwarts. I don't know the exact reason why, but I know it's important." The memory of myself gasped to catch her breath as she finished speaking. Did I really sound like that?

"How on Earth do you expect us to believe you are telling the truth?" McGonagall said, stepping forward and looking down at me over the rim of her glasses.

I turned to Dumbledore, looking up at him desperately. "You can perform legilimency on me. I swear I'm telling the truth."

Dumbledore spoke softly to McGonagall, his words lost to us by the sound of Snape's heavy breathing, then he turned to me and said legilimens, catching me by total surprise.

I sat perfectly still, my eyes trained on him, before his own eyes widened slightly at what he was seeing. He shoved his wand, the Elder Wand, into his robes. "She's telling us the truth, Minerva. She will need to remain here at Hogwarts until she finds or does whatever it is that she's here for. We will need to come up with a cover story for her, and then we will place her in classes beginning on Monday. Her memories tell me that she was sorted into Gryffindor, so I think it would be best if she discuss her class with you. For now though, I think it is best to let her rest."

Dumbledore turned towards the door and met eyes with Snape, a knowing smile appearing on his face. Snape gasped quietly and moved back from the door. He stood there a moment before he seemed to remember that he should've been in class, walking down the hall.

I continued to watch Dumbledore as he walked out the door of the infirmary, his eyes trained on me as if he could actually see me.

He pulled a lemon drop out of his pocket and shoved it in his mouth. "I think variation on the luvinziah almatonia will work finely for you, Miss Granger. Don't you think?"

I was pushed out of the Pensieve as the memory came to a stop, stumbling back into the desk. I managed to right myself before I fell flat on my bottom, gasping at what the memory had contained. It was not what I expected. I had to got to the past…or, I had already been in the past but needed to complete the loop by going back again.

But I couldn't leave now. Not when we were in the middle of a battle against the most powerful Dark Wizard in wizarding history. And I didn't even know how to go back that far. A time-turner wouldn't work, and from the theory I had read on the subject there wasn't a way to travel that far. But, what did Dumbledore say at the end? Luvinziahalmatonia.

I stood there for a moment before using my wand to coax the memory from the basin and placing it safely back in the vial, putting the stopper back in and pushing it down tightly. I needed to help Harry and Ron, then I needed to find McGonagall as soon as possible.


	2. Chapter Two

**A/N: It has been a loooong time since I updated this story, and for that I am sorry. My life has been really busy this year and I've just had no time to focus on this story. I do plan to finish it (I have an outline completed and know exactly where I want to go with it), but the writing is just taking a little bit longer than I wanted.**

 **I hope you all like this chapter, and if you leave a comment I'll PM you a sneak peak of the next chapter!**

CHAPTER TWO: STEPPING THROUGH TIME.

I pushed my way through the never-ending surge of people in the halls, as the echo of Voldemort's voice faded from the air. I needed to find Professor McGonagall now. I couldn't wait a minute longer. Harry only had until midnight to surrender himself, and if my trip to the past had anything to do with winning this war I needed to leave before Harry and Voldemort had the chance to face it off.

I tried my hardest to ignore the fallen bodies of the injured and dead, focusing instead of making my way through the school to the Great Hall. My instinct telling me that that was where I would find the Professor.

Opening the large door, I bit back a sob at the sight of the dead laying in rows. My eyes scanned over everyone until they finally landed on Professor McGonagall, who was standing at the front of the room with Harry and the Weasley family. I quickened my pace and stopped in front of the group, panting at the speed I'd walked in order to make it here.

Professor McGonagall looked down at me with a small smile on her face. "Miss Granger, thank Merlin you're okay."

"Hermione!" Harry said, breathing a deep sigh of relief. "We had no idea where you were. Have you been at the Shrieking Shack this whole time?"

I shook my head, placing my hands on my hips as I tried to catch my breath. "I stayed with Snape until he…well, I stayed with Snape. But he gave me a memory and I went to the Headmasters office to watch, and now I need you to send me back Professor. I need you to send me back right now."

Professor McGonagall's eyes scanned down my body over the rims of her glasses. She didn't speak straight away, and I could see both Harry and Ron's curiosity reaching its peak. She folded her hands together in front of her dark green robes and nodded her head sadly. "Yes, I suppose I should do just that Miss Granger."

"What's going on? What do you mean 'send you back'?" Ron bellowed, reaching out towards me. His eyes were red from crying, and under normal circumstances I would have happily welcomed his touch, but right now I needed to stay focused. I needed to go back before more people died.

"What did Snape show you Hermione?" Harry inched closer so that no one else could hear his voice as he spoke, his eyes searching mine for any hint of what the memory could have entailed.

I shook my head. "I'll explain. But not here. We need to go somewhere private."  
Professor McGonagall, agreed, excusing herself away from Bill and Arthur Weasley, who stood on the other side of her. Not waiting for a response from any of us, she turned to leave. None of us questioned where she was leading us, and as we all walked in silent steps behind her it became clear we were heading in the direction of the Headmasters office. She uttered the password when we were close enough to the door, not stopping as the stairs began to turn their way up.

Once inside the office she headed straight to sit on the edge of the desk. Harry and Ron stopped beside me, looking between me and the old witch.

"Are you going to tell us what's going on now?" Ron said, throwing his hands up and then crossing them over his chest tightly.

"I need to send Miss Granger back in time." McGonagall's clear voice bounced off of the dark walls.

"The past! Why?"

"I don't know, Harry. The memory didn't say."

"Yes." Professor McGonagall adjusted her glasses and straightened her robes. "Unfortunately I cannot tell you anymore than you have seen, Miss Granger. It could influence your actions in the past and change our future in ways that could prove more dangerous than the current situation that we find ourselves in at the moment."

"We're not sending Hermione back in time. Have you lost your mind? Not alone, at least. She couldn't survive back there on her own, surely." Ron uncrossed his arms and started pacing back and forth across the room. "I mean, if her being sent back has anything to do with defeating You-Know-Who then we should all go back. The three of us. And who's to say that sending Hermione back wouldn't change our futures anyway? What if, by sending her, it influences You-Know-Who and he ends up winning the war back then?"

"You can't come with me Ronald. Don't you realise that this had already happened before? I've already been to the past, and I need to go back there and make sure everything that happened, happens again."

"That makes no sense, 'Mione. You can't just go waltzing back into the past with no one to keep you safe. There'll be no one there to protect you."

His words hurt. I made up one third of the 'Golden Trio', and I sure as hell pulled my own weight. I could feel the fire of anger build its way up in my body at his words, and I tried to douse it by remembering that he was upset. He was upset that I would be leaving. It wasn't that he thought I couldn't protect myself, it was just that once I left they would have to work together until I came back.

"I can assure you Mr Weasley that Miss Granger will have plenty of people back there to watch over her if it's needed. However, we _need_ to send back Miss Granger right at this moment. And I'll need both of your help to make it happen." She paused to take a breath and look between the three of us before her eyes landed on me. "Did Albus share which spell he wished for us to use, Miss Granger?"

I nodded my head, clearing my throat as I tried to remember the exact words. "Yes, he said it was a variation of ' _luvinziah almatonia'._ "

McGonagall slipped off the edge of the desk, walking around it to a cupboard that sat at the back of the room. She tapped it four times with her wand and her mouthed moved to form the words of a silent spell. The cupboard door popped open to reveal a pile of old notebooks. My interest instantly piqued, and I fought the urge to rush forward and see what it was that those notebooks contained. If they were Dumbledore's they were bound to be interesting.

"I must ask you all to spend this time saying your goodbye's to one another." She said as she retrieved on of the notebooks and began to flip through it. "Time is of the essence."

I grabbed a hold of one of Harry's and Ron's arms and pulled them both back to the other side of the office, as far away as we could get form McGonagall. Ron still looked devastated, and as soon as I let go of his arm he reached out and grabbed my hand. Harry just looked confused.

"I don't know what it was that Snape showed you Harry, but whatever it was you have to listen to it and follow any instructions that he gave you. Snape used his last bits of energy that he had in his body to give us those memories, so they have to be important." I stopped, looking between the two of them, fighting back the tears. "I don't know when I'll be home, but if I'm not back before you face Voldemort, I want you both to remember that you can do this. You can do anything you set your minds to, you're both smart and will figure out how to do this without me."

"We'll be okay, Hermione." Harry muttered, looking down at the ground. "I know what needs to be done."

"And Ronald," I started, "don't underestimate yourself. You're a brilliant fighter. You both need to work hard and be here when I come back home. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you here with me. But, we can't worry about that now. I'll be here at Hogwarts, and we know it's highly unlikely for me to get into any trouble without the two of you by my side."

Ron let out a soft laugh, gripping onto my hand tighter. I met his eyes and felt a smile pull at my lips.

"Are you three ready?"

We walked back over to the middle of the room where McGonagall now stood, levitating three lit candles as well as the notebook. I nodded to Harry, trying to convey that I wanted a moment alone with Ron.

I watched as Harry made his way to the centre of the room, leaving me and Ron alone. I strained to think of what to say to him. I had had a crush on him for years, and now that we had finally kissed I was headed off into the past.

"Look 'Mione, you know that I like you right?" He said, his voice so quiet that I could barely head him. "And, I don't know how long you're gonna be gone. But I'll wait for you."

"I like you too Ron, and you're right that we don't know how long I'm gonna be gone. But, in the light of current situations, I think it would be best to wait until I come back to discuss this any further, okay?"

He nodded and I leant forward. My heart raced within my chest as I pressed a gentle kiss at the corner of my lips. He instantly cheered up, his neck and face turning bright red as he dragged me over to the middle of the room.

"Alright then, Miss Granger. You're going to have to stand in the middle of the three of us while we take the shape of a triangle around you." McGonagall arranged the boys so that they stood on either side of me, several feet back, then she took her place in front of me. "Miss Granger I want you to make sure that you hold onto your possession tightly. I need you to stand perfectly still for this spell to work. Sending someone entirely, body and soul, to a different time takes a lot of concentration. We don't want to splinch you between time periods. That would be disastrous."

She then reached back to the desk and handed me my small beaded bag. I had forgotten it in here in my hast to go and find her. I took the bag from her, grabbing my wand and casting a shrinking charm on it, placing the now-miniature bag into my pocket with my wand, then I shook my hands out and placed them shakily at my side. I needed to try and be careful not to fidget under the pressure of the whole situation.

Professor moved the candles to sit in front of Harry, Ron and herself, then instructed them both to copy her words precisely because once the spell started there was no way to stop it, and you didn't want me getting hurt in the process. Which wasn't a comfort considering I knew how bad Ron could be with pronouncing spells.

The flame of the candles flickered and almost-silent hum filled the thick air. McGonagall's words started to flow from her effortless as she raised her hands and began to cast the spell.

I didn't get the chance to hear whether Harry and Ron followed her in the chanting because as soon as her chanting started my ears popped the noise instantly distorted, as if I was swimming underwater. Moving my eyes around the room, the action caused everything around me to slow down and move in a slow succession. I moved my eyes back the other way, the world continuing to blur and slow down before finally refocusing, only to repeat the same thing when I tried again. The humming in my ears started to intensify, slowly building itself up to an intense squeal. I forced myself to remember that I wasn't allowed to move, trying to keep my arms at my side and stop them from shielding my ears from the ear-splitting sound.

Blinking several times, I tried to force the world around me to focus again. This seemed to make everything worse as a painful pressing on my brain spread through my skull. Unable to stop myself, I opened my mouth to cry out in pain, and all that came out was a soft buzz. All at once the buzzing and screaming ceased and the pain disappeared, causing my world to spin and then darkness surrounded.

#

My head was killing me. Against my better judgement I pried my eyes open and looked around the room to see if the spell had actually worked or not. The light that assaulted my eyes sent shock waves through my eyes, in my brain, and down my spine. Groaning, I let myself relax back into the bed, keeping my eyes squeezed shut.

"You're awake." The voice sounded familiar. Someone I knew. I let my eyes shoot open again, which was a stupid idea. Closing them once again, I tied to take shallow breaths to calm myself. "I guess I don't need to ask you if you're suffering any pain. Not surprising. It looks as if you've been beaten severely."

I heard the tell-tale _swoosh_ of the thin curtains sweeping shut throughout the room and I hesitantly reopened my eyes to see Madam Pomfrey standing over me in her usual healer uniform, with her wand raised in the air.

She immediately thrusted a potion in my face and I took it without hesitation, gulping down the thick and lumpy liquid, sighing at the instant relief that it offered me.

"The Headmaster will be along in a moment. I sent for him as soon as you began stirring. You have a lot of explaining to do." Madam Pomfrey's words were harsher than usual, and it took me a moment to realise why. Of course she would be guarded towards me. She had no idea who I was, and the wizarding world was in the height of its first war against Voldemort.

I nodded my head dutifully, pulling myself up into a sitting position. Her eyes didn't leave me as we both waited for Dumbledore to arrive.

It didn't take long for the large doors of the Hospital Wing to swing open and reveal the aged professor. Behind him was Professor McGonagall, both of them staring over at me with their faces filled with an anxious curiosity.

"Ahhhh, she's awake. Good…Good." Dumbledore said, stopping at the end of the bed.

Goose bumps shot across my skin, traveling up my arms and prickling at the base of my neck. It was weird to see him again. Alive.

I waited for him to speak, but for several moments he just looked up at me over the rim of his glasses. "What is your name, child?"

"Hermione Granger, sir." I replied, my heart lurching at the back of my throat.

"And why, my dear, were you found unconscious on our grounds this morning?"

I cleared my throat, hoping that they'd believe. Then I remembered the memory Snape had shared with me. All I had to do was explain myself. I had nothing to hide. "I was sent here by one of my Professors. The spell that was used knocked me unconscious."

"Elaborate." McGonagall bit out, eyes narrowing.

"I was sent here from the future. The year 1998, to be exact. There were circumstances that led to the decision to send me back. I'm not 100% sure why I was sent here, or what I can hope to achieve while I'm here, but my Professor believed it was urgent enough to send me straight away."

"Which Professor sent you?" Dumbledore reached up and started to stroke his beard thoughtfully. "A time-travel spell would have to be performed by someone with a certain amount of power and authority."

"I'm not sure if it would be appropriate to say, sir. From the research that I've done, if I reveal too much about the future it would be pretty disastrous."

McGonagall scoffed, while Dumbledore nodded his head. "You are telling us, Miss Granger, that you were sent here, to 1977, from the future?"

I sighed. "Yes. I was sent here by one of my Professors here at Hogwarts. I don't know the exact reason why, but I know that it's important."

"How on Earth do you expect us to believe you are telling the truth?" McGonagall said, taking a step closer to the bed.

I turned to face Dumbledore, staring desperately up at him. "You have to believe me. You can perform Legilimency on me. I swear I'm telling the truth."

"That's a fairly bold thing to suggest. If she were lying, Minerva, she would surely not offer her mind to me." Dumbledore said, leaning closer to McGonagall.

She contemplated this for a moment before crossing her arms across her chest. "Or she's offering herself up in the hopes that you'll not follow through with it and simply believe her word."

Dumbledore turned back around to me and I knew that a second later his spell would hit.

Forcing my body to be perfectly still, I could feel his magic probing my mind and searching my memories. A small part of me was worried about him seeing anything from my personal life, while the rest of me was more worried about the things that could change the future. A moment passed as a series of memories flew through my head.

He pulled out of my head and quickly shoved his wand into his robes. "She's telling us the truth, Minerva. She will need to remain here at Hogwarts until she finds or does whatever it is that she's here for. We will need to come up with a cover story for her, and then we will place her in classes beginning on Monday. Her memories tell me that she was sorted into Gryffindor, so I think it would be best if she discuss her classes with you. For now though, I think it is best to let her rest."

Dumbledore turned towards the door in a flurry of purple robes and left McGonagall and I alone. With a wave of her wand she summoned a chair and sat down beside the bed. "I'm going to need you to give me some details about your education. What year you're in, class preferences, and the height of your knowledge."

By the flat tone of her voice I could tell that she still didn't believe me.

"I'm in my seventh year. My classes are Arithmancy, DADA, Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, and Ancient Runes. I've been the top of every one of my classes since first year. My highest grade is in Transfiguration and Charms, and my lowest has been in Potions. But that has more to do with the bias that my Potions professor holds rather than my actual performance."

She nodded her head, conjuring a piece of parchment and a quill from her robes, and wrote down what I had told her. The sound of the quill scratching the parchment filled the room for a moment before she looked up and spoke again. "How old are you?"

"I turned 17 in September…well September of 1997."

"Okay. Finally, and this is something I want you to answer as honestly as possible. How did you get injured like this? Sending you back wouldn't have caused this amount of injury."

I looked down at my clothes, seeing that I was still wearing the dirty and torn clothes I'd been stuck in since we had arrived at Hogwarts before the battle had begun. Dried blood stained my shirt and pants, and I knew that my body was covered in bruises and scratches. I probably looked like I had been beaten to a pulp.

"In my time there's been some…conflict. All is this," I motioned down to myself. "Is from a mixture of torture, battle wounds, and tending to other people."

McGonagall looked at me wearily before she called out to Madam Pomfrey, telling her that it was okay to tend to my wounds now that they knew that I wasn't a threat. Madam Pomfrey nodded and waited for McGonagall to finish talking to me while she prepared some salves and potions on the table beside the bed.

"I'll tell the Headmaster what you have told me and we will come up with a believable story to tell anyone who asks. I think it would be best for you to remain in here until Sunday afternoon. It's Friday now, that gives you time to heal, we can squash any rumours that are already spreading through the school, and we can gather anything you may need to live and study here.

Waving her wand, Madam Pomfrey made the curtain around the bed swing closed, then with a second wave she made my clothes disappear, leaving me only in my underwear. A sharp hiss escaped her mouth as she took in all the scars and injuries I had acquired, and then she thrust another pain relieving potion into my hand.

Laying back on the bed, she waved her wand over my body, running diagnostics, tutting to herself as she went. She gave the occasional comment, which a spelled quill then transcribed onto a piece of parchment.

The worst of it was when her wand came to hover over the nasty 'mudblood' scar on my forearm. She let out a loud shriek and reached for one of the salves on the table. I pulled my arm away from her, knowing that there was no salve that would hide it, having already tried it several times while at Shell Cottage.

"It won't work. The witch who did it used dark magic."

#

A sudden noise woke me from my potion-induced sleep, causing me to sit up in the bed, pointing my wand in that direction. I let out a relieved breath when I saw who it was. Snape.

He watched me carefully as I lowered my wand, scowling at my relief. "Why are you lowering your wand? I could have come here to kill you for all you know."

His feet shuffled across the floor and his long robes dragged on the stone as he stepped closer to the bed and into the light. It was strange seeing Snape so young. He still had the same hooked nose, dark eyes, and long black hair. But there were clear differences. He was obviously shorter and lacked the physical markers of being a spy. His hair also wasn't as greasy as it usually was, and he was actually kind of…handsome. In his own way.

"You're the one who brought me here. If you wanted me dead you would have done it earlier when no one knew that I was here."

That seemed to have stumped him and he paused, his dark eyes scanning over my body. Madam Pomfrey had given me a horrid 'old lady' nightgown to wear in bed, and I instantly wished that I had had time to pack some of my own clothes before I came here. The only clothes I had in my bag weren't exactly suitable.

"Why are you here?" He asked, pulling a chair up beside the bed.

"I don't know what your eye sight it like, but I think it's quite clear that I'm here because I'm injured." I rolled my eyes at him, pulling the thin hospital blanket further towards myself.

"You know that's not what I meant. I want to know what you intend to do here. Why you were sent here."

"I don't see how that's any of your business."

He clenched his fists and leant forward. "If you don't tell me, I'll tell everyone your secret."

"I'm pretty sure that if you started running around the school shouting that I'm from the future, it would only be bad for you. They'd probably assume you're crazy and then send you to St Mungo's."

"Aha!" He threw his hands up in triumph. "So you admit that you're from the future."

"Why don't you stop shouting, before Madam Pomfrey comes out here and yells at us?" I growled. "And we both know that you were spying on my conversation with Dumbledore and McGonagall. Why ask me questions you already know the answer to?"

"I'm going to find out why you're here, whether you tell me or not." He said, staring at me intently, inching closer. His dark eyes shifted between me and the door to Madam Pomfrey's office.

I leant closer to him, my body aching under the potions I had taken several hours ago. "Well, when you find out let me know."

His stare instantly turned into a glare and a familiar sneer filled his face. His loose hair hung forward as he let out a low growl. "Why would you come to the past if you don't know what you're here to do? Are you stupid?"

"I was sent her by one of the most respected professors Hogwarts has ever seen. She didn't seem to think I needed to know what I'm here for, and I don't think it's your business either."

He pushed back and let out another growl of frustration, standing up from his chair and pacing back and forth. I sat quietly as he paced, not really knowing what to do. I figured he would approach me at some point, considering what he had heard through the Hospital Wing doors, but I didn't really understand his urgency to get answers that I wasn't really in the position to give him.

I continued to wait for him to speak until a heavy yawn took hold. "Look, I can't tell you anything other than my name and the fact that I'm from the future. I don't understand why you would think I would, or could, tell you anything more than that."

He stopped pacing, standing still and looking down at me. "What is your name?"

"Hermione Granger." I said, holding my hand out for him to shake. He reluctantly took my hand in his and shook it, opening his mouth as if to tell me his name in turn. "You don't have to tell me what yours is. I ready know."

He scowled and dropped my hand, causing it to fall back down in my lap. I rolled my eyes, noticing the anger that was instantly in his eyes. He turned away from the bed without looking down at me again, talking as he reached the door.

"If you can't tell me anything else, _Hermione_ , then I have no further use for you."


	3. Chapter Three

**A/N: Another update, yay! I was on a role with this chapter (I had written it in January and just had to edit it). I managed to edit it super quickly and just couldn't wait to upload it. I hope you all enjoy, and don't forget that if you leave a comment you'll get a PM with a sneak peak of the next chapter.**

CHAPTER THREE: SETTLING IN.

The large double doors of the Hospital Wing burst open and I breathed a sigh of relief as Professor McGonagall entered the Hospital Wing in a flurry of dark robes. Most of my injuries had been healed during my two night stay and I was finally being released.

McGonagall made a beeline to where I sat on the edge of the bed, a smile pulling at her lips. She had made the decision that I was trustworthy and not out to hurt anyone when she visited me yesterday and talked to me in more depth about my classes and any supplies that I would need for my stay at the school. It was strange how well we got on so quickly.

"Good morning, Miss Granger. How are you feeling today?" She said as she came to a standstill.

"I feel fine. Madam Pomfrey said that all of my visible wounds have healed perfectly fine, although there are several scars that I'll have for life. I also have bruised ribs. They should be fine in a week or so, but there was nothing else that she could do for that."

She nodded her head, and smiled over my shoulder at Madam Pomfrey.

"Hello Minerva. Miss Granger is all ready to go, however I would like for her to come and see me again at the end of the week just to make sure everything has healed perfectly."

Minerva nodded her head and sat down on the chair that was next to my bed. "That will be no problem. Now, Miss Granger, we need to discuss the story that you will use to explain why you are here. I've spoken to the Headmaster and we've come up with a basic narrative for you, if that is okay?"

"That's fine."

"Well, as I'm sure you are aware, gossip spreads rather quickly here at Hogwarts, so the majority of the schools knows that you were found unconscious and rather…injured. So the Headmaster and I decided that, with your permission of course, it would be a reasonable story that you were attacked by Dark Wizards. The Headmaster also suggested that we say your family was killed during the attack. It would explain why you've come to Hogwarts and will make it easier for people to think that you have no family, rather than question why you've transferred here and why you stay back during the holidays. Does this story sound good to you?"

Agreeing with her, I asked a couple of questions about the depth of the story and if it was okay for me to make up my own aspects if asked, and then she stood up, motioning for me and stand up and follow her from the Hospital Wing. I walked beside her through the halls of the school and was glad we only passed a handful of students on our way towards Gryffindor tower, each one staring at me curiously, with me watching them in turn. I almost laughed at some of the clothes that they were wearing. Being in the Hospital Wing almost made me forget that I was in 1977.

McGonagall came to a sudden stop in front of the Fat Lady and turned to face me. "I know this must be nerve wracking for you Miss Granger. But, I've arranged for you to meet with our Head Girl who will introduce you to the other students and show you your dorm room. She's a very nice girl, I'm sure that you'll get along nicely."

"Phoenix." She said as she turned back to the Fat Lady. Smiling down at us, the Fat Lady swung the door open to reveal the Common Room I had missed so much since being on the run with Ron and Harry. I sighed happily at the site of it as I stepped inside.

Once we passed the threshold, the portrait swung shut closed, leaving us in the almost empty common room. The only people there was a small group sitting by the fire. At the sound of our entrance they all turned around and I had to fight with every fibre of my body to hold in my gasp of shock.

My hurt lurched at the site of the people before me. Three of which were undeniably dead. One who I hoped _was._ And another who was clinging to his life alongside his wife in the Hospital Wing back in 1998.

Red hair flung around as we were approached and I instantly recognised Harry's mum, Lily Evans. She smiled brightly at me, and rushed forward to hold out her hand for me to shake. I took it, smiling back, trying not to show any sign of my shock.

"Hi, you must be Hermione." She said brightly, dropping her hand from mine. "My name's Lily Evans. Head Girl."

"It's nice to meet you." I hesitantly crossed my arms over my chest.

"Okay, now that you two have met I'll be on my way. I've left your timetable with your trunk and books up in the dorm room. If you find you need anything, Hermione, don't hesitate to ask."

I smiled and thanked her as she turned to leave the Common Room. Then I turned to face Lily, who was still staring brightly at me.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to the boys. Then I can show you to your dorm room and introduce you to your room mates." She led me over to the couch where the four Marauders were seated, and I finally managed to get a proper look at them.

My eyes instantly went to James, who looked as if he could be Harry's twin brother. Messy black hair, glasses, same face shape. The only differences being the lack of scar and the colour of his eyes. Then they turned to Sirius who still had the longer hair, but any signs of age and torment that he had received by being a captive for years were now gone. Instead he was looking me up and down and grinning up at me. The look reminded me of the one Victor had given me the night of the Yule Ball in fourth year, or the look Cormac had given me during Slughorns stupid Christmas Party. I internally shuddered at the thought.

I tried hard to skip Pettigrew altogether, who was just as pudgy and rat-like as the last time she had seen him. I tried not to dwell on the fact that he would betray Lily and James to Voldemort sometime in the future. I couldn't change the past, no matter how much I wanted to. Then I looked at Remus, who seemed to be sporting far less scars than he did in 1998, and who looked less troubled than I ever thought I would see him.

"So, these are my friends. On the left we have Peter, then there's Remus and Sirius. And the gentleman in the glasses is my boyfriend, James. I managed to get everyone else out of the Common Room, but I knew that they'd force themselves in here to see you anyway, so I just let them tag along."

They all greeted me enthusiastically, Sirius' hand lingering in mine a little bit longer than the others. I tried not to show my disgust at the thought that that was Harry's godfather, but it was hard when you knew the man as being a prisoner stuck in his own home drinking himself silly.

"It's nice to meet you Hermione. We've definitely been in need of fresh blood around here."

Remus hand flung out and slapped Sirius across the back of his head. "Don't be insensitive, you asshole."

"It's okay." I said, just before James could punch Sirius in the arm. "I'm happy to be at Hogwarts. I've heard amazing things. I mean, sure, my circumstances before coming here weren't…ideal, but I just need to look forward."

The group seemed to let out a collective breath as I spoke. Sirius smiled up at me and I immediately averted my eyes away, not wanting to encourage him at all.

"Okay, you got to meet her. Now, why don't you go play with your brooms like good little boys while I show Hermione her room."

Lily grabbed my arm and dragged me away from the sniggering group of boys towards the stairs up to the girls dorm. I followed behind her, eager to escape the awkwardness of my introduction to the group of Marauders.

We reached a door which I was familiar with and Lily knocked on it twice. There was a crash inside and I could hear hurried footfalls of someone running towards us. The door was thrust open and I almost let out another shocked breath. Standing before me was a face I didn't personally know, but seemed similar enough to one that I did know that it was easy for me to guess who she was. Wide eyes staring at me in wonder, dark hair, and a smile that mirrored that of the son she would have.

"Oh my gosh! You must be Hermione. It's so nice to meet you. Come in. Come in." Alice Longbottom…well, not Longbottom yet, moved aside to let the both of us into the room. I looked around, taking in all of the decorations that were spread across the walls. Most of it was similar to what was there in my time, but there was the odd thing that screamed 70's to me.

Lily walked straight to a bed that sat in the far corner of the room and sat down on the very edge of it. Next to her on the bed sat a large trunk. I headed forward, excited to see what textbooks I had, as well as what clothes McGonagall had gotten for me. I hoped that they weren't horrendous, and I hoped that they actually fit me.

Sitting near Lily on the bed, I reached for a letter that sat on top of the trunk. I looked at the envelope and tore it open as Lily spoke to Alice about one of the classes that they shared. I pulled out the piece of parchment and unfolded it, looking down at my timetable. It was virtually the same as what it had been in my sixth year. Looking over each class, thinking about the work we would be doing, I instantly relaxed.

Putting the letter aside, I stood up from the bed and reached for the trunk, unclasping it. I threw it open on the bed and looked at what was inside of it. The clothes weren't too bad, the odd pair of flared jeans and knitted turtle-necks, but I would be wearing my uniform most of the time anyway. I shoved everything to the side of the bed and then turned my attention to my textbooks. I recognised most of them, having read them in my spare time over the course of my Hogwarts education. However, there were a couple that weren't as up to date as I was used to. I would need to read through these copies to make sure I didn't say or write something that was too advanced for this time period.

"Is this the right trunk?" I looked up to meet Lily's eyes. She was still sitting on the end of the bed, but she had turned to face me and was looking at me in confusion. "You don't look like you've seen any of this before."

"Oh. I've never-I haven't seen any of this stuff before. When I left my home, I could only bring a small amount of things with me and none of them were suitable for school. Professor McGonagall went and bought all of this stuff for me yesterday."

Lily's face dropped at the mention of leaving my home. It wasn't a lie, exactly.

"Oh, that's a shame. It must be hard being in a strange place, without your own things to make you feel comfortable."

"Yeah. I can't even imagine what you've been through. It must be surreal, going from being tortured by Death Eaters to finding yourself in a hospital bed at a strange school."

Alice was bouncing on the balls of her feet as she watched me and I raised my eyebrows at her. She had all the tact that Neville had. If it wasn't such a hard topic, I would have laughed at the similarities between mother and son. I silently wondered if she made a habit of blowing up cauldrons as well.

Lily slapped Alice on the arm and glared at up at her. "Alice! We don't know what happened to Hermione. You shouldn't speculate like that."

"It's fine, really." I said, trying to make my face look solemn. No matter that I had both been tortured by Death Eaters _and_ been in a battle against them. "She's not wrong. However, I had already planned on coming to Hogwarts before my family was killed. It just meant my arrival was…unorthodox."

Lily jumped up and wrapped me in a tight hug. "I'm so sorry you've had to go through all of this. We'll take care of you here at Hogwarts, I promise."

My chest tightened, and I had to fight back the urge to cry. I had no idea what was happening with my friends, and on top of that I was in a room with two people that I knew would suffer at the hands of this first war.

"Thank you, Lily. That means a lot."

#

It was a relief when I was finally left alone to get into my pyjamas and climb into bed. After my exchange with Lily, four other girls had exited the dorms bathroom and had eagerly introduced themselves to me. I knew I recognised some of them to be the relatives to people I had grown up with, and it was interesting to see how each one acted in comparison to their relatives. It reminded me of home.

Being a seventh year student, I shared a room with Alice King, Marcia Devonleigh, Cecilia Finnigan, Raquel Brown, and Emily Wood. Each of them overly enthusiastic to meet me, which meant that I was completely worn out after five minutes of talking with them.

When they finally left me be, I closed the curtains around my bed and cast a privacy charm, setting to work on putting my clothes away and preparing my things for classes tomorrow.

My timetable had me in double Potions tomorrow morning, Transfiguration, and then Charms. I was excited to get back into my education, but nervous that I would be among classmates who I didn't know. I hadn't grown up with these people. I didn't know who I could trust or who I should avoid.

Once all of my things were set, I climbed onto the bed, pulling out my beaded bag and enlarging it to its normal size. Opening the bag I reached my arm inside, happy that the undetectable extension charm had held out through time. I continued to dig until I found a small photo album. Opening it up I flipped through the photos inside, skipping ahead to my most recent photo I had with Harry and Ron in it.

Pulling the photo out of the album, I gripped it in my hand before shoving the album back into the bag. Once the bag was securely hidden in my trunk I curled up under the soft blankets and looked at the people smiling out at me.

The photo was taken in our sixth year, after Harry and Ginny had gotten together. It was of the four of us, Ron, Harry, Ginny, and I, sitting on the couches in the Common Room. Ginny was sitting with her legs in Harry's lap, the both of them going from smiling at each other, to smiling at Collin (who was taking the photo). Ron was sitting as far away from them as possible, playing Wizarding Chess by himself, his face going from a scowl to a his trademark dopey grin. And then there was me, sitting in between them, my head stuck between the book in my hand and the camera lense.

Tears ran down my cheeks as I stared at the photo. I quickly rubbed them away, but it was no use, they kept coming. I ended up sobbing, clutching the photo in my hands. I missed my friends. I had no idea if I was going to be going home to a world where my friends were still alive or not. There were so many uncertainties. And as someone who longed for structure and balance, this upheaval was wreaking havoc on my emotions.

I laid there crying into my pillow, mourning for the friends and family I didn't know if I still had, the group in the photo continuing to smile down at me.

#

The next morning had me in a miserable mood, trying to make my hair conform to a ponytail while I tried to get rid of the puffiness in my eyes. Nothing seemed to help, and just as everyone else in the room was waking up, I hastily made my way from the room, down through the Common Room and out the portrait hole.

Wearing the uniform I relaxed under the familiar feel of the material on my body. Making my way down to the Great Hall was quite easy, not many people were out of bed and ready for breakfast this early on a Monday morning, and as I pushed the doors open and headed to Gryffindor table, there was only three other people in the whole Great Hall.

The first was Snape, sitting over at the Slytherin table, glaring down at a textbook. He looked up as my shoes clicked and clacked against the floor, sneering over at me. The second was a young boy sitting over at the Hufflepuff table, his eyes shut as he had teetered on the edge of his arm. The third was Lily, who sat in the centre of the Gryffindor table with books spread out around her and several pieces of parchment laid down in front of her.

Placing my bag on the seat next to me I instantly reached for eggs on toast. She glanced up at me, wishing me a good morning, before looking back down at her essay. Keeping my reply minimal, I quickly slipped into silence, knowing what it was like to be interrupted while working on homework. I did not want to be that person. Even if I had the urge to beg her to tell me what her essay was about.

Eating my breakfast in silence, I watched as the Great Hall slowly filled with more and more people. Eventually I had to reach into my bag and retrieve my Advanced Potions textbook and flip through it, wondering what the class was currently working on.

"Good morning, Lils." Looking up briefly from the textbook, I watched James sit down beside Lily, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. He nodded in my direction and smiled as I met his eyes above the textbook. "Morning, Hermione."

"Good morning, James," I said, keeping my head turned down.

I could feel, rather than hear, Sirius sit down beside me. His arm instantly going over my shoulder and his legs touching mine. Pushing back the urge to hex him, I cringed at the contact.

"Good morning, beautiful." He whispered. Clencing my jaw, I closed my book and slammed it on the table. He jumped slightly, but kept his arm around my shoulder.

My eyes moved past Lily's shoulder and over to the Slytherin table where Snape was peeking over at us with a look of disgust on his face. Our eyes met and I didn't look away as I spoke. "You have five seconds to get your hand off of me or else I'll hex you."

The tone of my voice caught everyone's attention, including Peter and Remus, who I hadn't noticed had joined us. Sirius' hand instantly dropped and he slid slightly away from me, muttering something under his breath. Lily was looking at me with furrowed brows, as if she was seeing me for the first time.

"Are you okay, Hermione?" She asked, her eyes running over my face.

Realising that I probably still looked horrible, I cursed myself for drawing in attention. "I'm fine. I'm just a little bit sensitive to people touching me without my permission."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sirius slide even further away from me. At least he wasn't putting up a fight.

"Are you sure that's it?" Lily said, smiling sadly at me.

"Yeah. I'm okay."

She nodded her head and then looked down at her watch. Her eyes widened and she immediately started packing up her books and papers. We watched on as she hurriedly packed up her things and climbed up from the seat.

"I'll see you in Potions, I have to go and hand in this essay to Professor Binns."

She didn't hesitate before running off full speed out the door, leaving it ajar as she disappeared. Turning back to the table, I reached for another piece of toast, my eyes travelling over to Snape, who was staring at the door to the Great Hall where Lily had just fled.

Hmm, I wonder what that was about?

Forcing myself to wait until there was a good twenty minutes before class was supposed to start, I pushed myself up from the chair and headed off to the dungeons. When I arrived there, I wasn't surprised to see that Lily was already setting up at a table in the front. She smiled at me as I approached the front desk to reintroduce, or introduce, myself to Professor Slughorn.

He looked up in confusion as I stopped at his desk, smiling politely at him.

"How can I help you, Miss…?" He said, his voice as nasally as I remembered.

"Hermione Granger, sir. I'm a transfer student. Today's my first day."

Realisation dawned on his face and his smiled brightly. "Of course, I remember Minerva letting me know now. Granger? I've never heard of any Granger's. Do you have any wizarding family I would know of?"

I felt my lips tighten, my mind going to the first time I had met him and when he had asked me the exactly the same question.

"No, sir. I'm a Muggle-born, and I don't have any family anymore."

"Muggle-born you say…no matter." The last part was spoke quieter to himself as he pushed himself onto his feet. He walked around the desk and motioned for me to follow him towards the back of the table where Snape was flipping through his potions book, the same one that was filled with countless scribbles and notes. "You can sit here with young Severus. He's quite the Potion whizz, I'm sure he can show you the ropes."

My lips curled into a scowl at the implication that just because I was a Muggle-born I didn't already know how to brew potions. As if I hadn't been taught how to brew potions under one of the leading Potion Masters in the wizarding world.

Letting my scowl drop, I thanked him and then pulled out a chair as far as possible from Snape and got myself situated.

"I don't plan on walking you through this. If you're too stupid to follow simple instructions, you can sit there and watch. I won't let my mark suffer just so I can teach you something a first year would know."

Smiling sweetly at him, I pulled my Advanced Potions book out of my bag and laid it down on the table in front of me. "Where I'm from I've been the top of my Potions class since I was in my first year. I brewed a Polyjuice Potion when I was twelve. I think I can manage a simple Drought of the Living Dead."


End file.
